The Zambia Women’s National Team have been eliminated from the 2026 TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) despite ending their Group C campaign with a victory over Malawi on Wednesday evening.
The Copper Queens collected all three points in their final group match, but the result was not enough to secure a place in the quarter-finals following results elsewhere in the group.
Zambia finished their campaign with two wins and one defeat, but missed out on progression as Group C standings were decided on the competition’s qualification criteria.
Zambia had opened their campaign with a commanding 6-0 win over Egypt before suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to Nigeria, leaving qualification dependent on the final round of group fixtures. Although they responded with a win over Malawi, it proved insufficient to book a place in the last eight.
The early exit marks a disappointing end to Zambia’s WAFCON campaign after entering the tournament with high expectations, having been among the continent’s leading women’s teams in recent years.